'Umar Ibn Said came forward, shot one arrow at the camp of the Imam, and said, "Bear witness with the governor that I was the first to shoot an arrow!"
The army began and their arrows fell like rain. The Imam said to his people, "Get up to death, which everyone has to taste. Indeed, these arrows are their messen
gers to us."
The Imam's followers fought all in one group, and they lost fifty men. When the Imam saw that so many of his followers were killed at once, individual people began to ask permission to go and fight. He was hesitating to allow them.
Then, from the enemy's side, Yesir and Salim came forward and asked who wanted to fight them. Habib and Burayr wanted to go and fight, but the Imam did not allow them (they were old). 'Abdullah Kalbi, one of the children of Ulaym, was brave and experienced in war, but he was young. He asked permission and the Imam allowed him to go. When he went forward, Ibn Ziyad's camp asked who he was, and he told them who he was.
They answered, "We do not want you. We want Zuhayr or Habib or Burayr. You are not equal to us!"
Without returning to tell the Imam, he screamed curses at them and attacked. He hit Yesir with his sword, and then Salim came and swung at him. 'Abdullah used his left hand to block Salim 's sword, and all of his fingers were cut off. But that did not stop him. 'Abdullah went after Salim , killed him, and then chased after Yesir and killed him as well.
Then he went back to the Imam. On his way back he met his wife, Umm Wahab, carrying a tent pole. She was encouraging him to fight on. He wanted to take her back to the tents with the other women, but she refused and said, "I want to join the fight with this pole."
The Imam intervened. He asked her to come back and said, "Women should not fight."
Sayf Ibn Harith and Malik Ibn 'Abd al-Jabiri came to the Imam crying. The Imam asked, "Why are you crying?"
They said, "We are crying for you, Imam, that you are going to be alone, and we cannot help you."
They went and fought until they were killed. Then 'Abdullah and 'Abdul Rahman, sons of 'Urwah, came and fought until they were killed. Then 'Amr Ibn Khalid al-Saydawi and Sa'd and Janir Salmani and Majma Aidhi came and all at once went against the enemy. One of them called for help from the Imam. 'Abbas immediately went to rescue them, but before 'Abbas could reach them, the enemy surrounded them and killed then.
When the Imam saw that most of his people were killed, he took hold of his beard and said to the army, "God's wrath was on the Jews because they claimed a child for Him, His wrath was on the Christians because they made Him a third of three, His wrath was on Zoroastrians because they worshipped the sun, and His wrath will be on those who united to kill the grandson of the Messenger of God.
By God, I will not agree to anything they want until I reach God by my blood!
Is there anyone to help us? Is there anyone to help the family of the Prophet?"
Then, Sa'd Ibn Harith and his brother who were among 'Umar's army immediately turned against the army and began slashing them with their swords, killing many of them.
::::THE RIGHT FLANK
The followers of the Imam were few, but individually, people fought zealously, inflicting heavy casualties on the army.
Then, the army chief yelled to his people, saying, "Do you know whom you are fighting? You are fighting those who want to die. No one can go to fight with them unless he himself also wants to die. We have to catapult large rocks on them and kill them with the catapults."
'Umar Ibn Sa'd said, "That is the right decision. I agree, we should not send anyone else to fight with them. If you go and fight with them one by one, they are going to kill you all."
Ibn al-Hajjaj tried to attack the right flank of Imam Husayn's camp. They attacked on horseback, but the Imam's people were on foot. They held their spears forward and did not let the horses of the attackers come closer. When the troops started to retreat, the Imam's army began to shoot the soldiers with arrows.
Hajjaj tried to rally his troops saying, "Go back and fight against those atheists who left the religion."
The Imam answered, "Are we those who left the religion, or are you? Soon we will see who enters the fire first."
Ibn Hajjaj then went around and, with several men, attacked the Imam's camp from the side of the river. Muslim Ibn 'Awsajah fought against three of them. He was wounded badly but he was able to return to the camp.
The Imam said, "God bless you, Muslim. We are all going to die." And he quoted: "Some of them have fulfilled [their covenant], and others are waiting [to do so], and have not made any changes [in the religion]." [Sura of al-Ahzab 33:23.]
Habib Ibn Muzahir came and said to Muslim, "How difficult it is to see you dying. Soon, you will be entering heaven." Habib continued, "I wish I could carry your will, but I know I will be next to join you."
Muslim said, "I have only one last wish, that you help Imam Husayn as much as you can."
Habib replied, "Indeed, by God, I will do so." When the women cried and wailed 'Wa Muslimah,' the enemies realized that Muslim must have died in the camp.
When Shibth Ibn Rab'i realized that Muslim was dead and the enemy was happy, he said to the troops, "Do you know that you have lost the most honorable Muslim whom I know, at the battle of Azerbaijan, was still fighting even after all of the horses were tired?"
::::THE LEFT FLANK
Shimr was in charge of the attack on the left flank of the Imam's camp, but the Imam and his followers were well prepared. Shimr and his group attacked suddenly, without any success.
'Abdullah Ibn 'Umayr al-Kalbi went forward and killed nineteen horsemen and twelve footmen. Then, his right hand was cut off, then his leg, and he was taken prisoner. They took him back to the enemy camp, killed him, and then dumped his body back on the battlefield. His wife, Umm Wahab, went to him, cleaning the blood off of his face, and saying, "Heaven is for you. May God join us together in heaven."
Shimr sent his slave, Rustam, with a heavy club to beat her on her head, and she died instantly. She was the first woman killed among the Imam's camp at Karbala'.
They cut off his head and threw it to the Imam's camp. His mother took the head, recognized it, then took a tent pole and marched towards the enemy to fight. The Imam stopped her and said, "War is not allowed for women."
She replied, "Do not cut off my only hope."
The Imam said, "God will never cut off your hope."
Shimr came closer and closer. Suddenly, he and his men attacked the tents of the Imam's camp, and used flaming spears to set the tents on fire. The women screamed. Shibth Ibn Rab'i stopped Shimr from throwing any more spears. From the Imam's camp, Zuhayr Ibn al-Qayn and ten of his people attacked Shimr and his troops, and fought them away.
Azra who was in charge asked for help from 'Umar Ibn Sa'd. 'Umar asked Shibth to go, but he refused. Then 'Umar sent Hosayn Ibn Numayr with five hundred archers. The Imam's camp fought against them and cut off the legs of their horses.
'Umar ordered to attack from all sides because they were not succeeding by attacking from one side.
Each of the Imam's fighters was separated and surrounded by a large group of the enemy. 'Umar ordered all the tents to be set on fire. Women were crying and upset, children did not know what to do.
The Imam said, "Let them set the tents on fire. Get out of the tents and use the fire to protect you from them." When Abu Sha'th al-Kindi saw the horrible situation, he decided to leave 'Umar Ibn Sa'd's army. He came to the Imam and said, "I am at your service. Tell me what to do."
He shot one hundred arrows against 'Umar's army. When all of his arrows were finished, he came back and said, "I killed only five. I have to kill more." He went back and killed nine more men before he was killed.
The Imam's followers fought all in one group, and they lost fifty men. When the Imam saw that so many of his followers were killed at once, individual people began to ask permission to go and fight. He was hesitating to allow them.
Then, from the enemy's side, Yesir and Salim came forward and asked who wanted to fight them. Habib and Burayr wanted to go and fight, but the Imam did not allow them (they were old). 'Abdullah Kalbi, one of the children of Ulaym, was brave and experienced in war, but he was young. He asked permission and the Imam allowed him to go. When he went forward, Ibn Ziyad's camp asked who he was, and he told them who he was.
They answered, "We do not want you. We want Zuhayr or Habib or Burayr. You are not equal to us!"
Without returning to tell the Imam, he screamed curses at them and attacked. He hit Yesir with his sword, and then Salim came and swung at him. 'Abdullah used his left hand to block Salim 's sword, and all of his fingers were cut off. But that did not stop him. 'Abdullah went after Salim , killed him, and then chased after Yesir and killed him as well.
Then he went back to the Imam. On his way back he met his wife, Umm Wahab, carrying a tent pole. She was encouraging him to fight on. He wanted to take her back to the tents with the other women, but she refused and said, "I want to join the fight with this pole."
The Imam intervened. He asked her to come back and said, "Women should not fight."
Sayf Ibn Harith and Malik Ibn 'Abd al-Jabiri came to the Imam crying. The Imam asked, "Why are you crying?"
They said, "We are crying for you, Imam, that you are going to be alone, and we cannot help you."
They went and fought until they were killed. Then 'Abdullah and 'Abdul Rahman, sons of 'Urwah, came and fought until they were killed. Then 'Amr Ibn Khalid al-Saydawi and Sa'd and Janir Salmani and Majma Aidhi came and all at once went against the enemy. One of them called for help from the Imam. 'Abbas immediately went to rescue them, but before 'Abbas could reach them, the enemy surrounded them and killed then.
When the Imam saw that most of his people were killed, he took hold of his beard and said to the army, "God's wrath was on the Jews because they claimed a child for Him, His wrath was on the Christians because they made Him a third of three, His wrath was on Zoroastrians because they worshipped the sun, and His wrath will be on those who united to kill the grandson of the Messenger of God.
By God, I will not agree to anything they want until I reach God by my blood!
Is there anyone to help us? Is there anyone to help the family of the Prophet?"
Then, Sa'd Ibn Harith and his brother who were among 'Umar's army immediately turned against the army and began slashing them with their swords, killing many of them.
::::THE RIGHT FLANK
The followers of the Imam were few, but individually, people fought zealously, inflicting heavy casualties on the army.
Then, the army chief yelled to his people, saying, "Do you know whom you are fighting? You are fighting those who want to die. No one can go to fight with them unless he himself also wants to die. We have to catapult large rocks on them and kill them with the catapults."
'Umar Ibn Sa'd said, "That is the right decision. I agree, we should not send anyone else to fight with them. If you go and fight with them one by one, they are going to kill you all."
Ibn al-Hajjaj tried to attack the right flank of Imam Husayn's camp. They attacked on horseback, but the Imam's people were on foot. They held their spears forward and did not let the horses of the attackers come closer. When the troops started to retreat, the Imam's army began to shoot the soldiers with arrows.
Hajjaj tried to rally his troops saying, "Go back and fight against those atheists who left the religion."
The Imam answered, "Are we those who left the religion, or are you? Soon we will see who enters the fire first."
Ibn Hajjaj then went around and, with several men, attacked the Imam's camp from the side of the river. Muslim Ibn 'Awsajah fought against three of them. He was wounded badly but he was able to return to the camp.
The Imam said, "God bless you, Muslim. We are all going to die." And he quoted: "Some of them have fulfilled [their covenant], and others are waiting [to do so], and have not made any changes [in the religion]." [Sura of al-Ahzab 33:23.]
Habib Ibn Muzahir came and said to Muslim, "How difficult it is to see you dying. Soon, you will be entering heaven." Habib continued, "I wish I could carry your will, but I know I will be next to join you."
Muslim said, "I have only one last wish, that you help Imam Husayn as much as you can."
Habib replied, "Indeed, by God, I will do so." When the women cried and wailed 'Wa Muslimah,' the enemies realized that Muslim must have died in the camp.
When Shibth Ibn Rab'i realized that Muslim was dead and the enemy was happy, he said to the troops, "Do you know that you have lost the most honorable Muslim whom I know, at the battle of Azerbaijan, was still fighting even after all of the horses were tired?"
::::THE LEFT FLANK
Shimr was in charge of the attack on the left flank of the Imam's camp, but the Imam and his followers were well prepared. Shimr and his group attacked suddenly, without any success.
'Abdullah Ibn 'Umayr al-Kalbi went forward and killed nineteen horsemen and twelve footmen. Then, his right hand was cut off, then his leg, and he was taken prisoner. They took him back to the enemy camp, killed him, and then dumped his body back on the battlefield. His wife, Umm Wahab, went to him, cleaning the blood off of his face, and saying, "Heaven is for you. May God join us together in heaven."
Shimr sent his slave, Rustam, with a heavy club to beat her on her head, and she died instantly. She was the first woman killed among the Imam's camp at Karbala'.
They cut off his head and threw it to the Imam's camp. His mother took the head, recognized it, then took a tent pole and marched towards the enemy to fight. The Imam stopped her and said, "War is not allowed for women."
She replied, "Do not cut off my only hope."
The Imam said, "God will never cut off your hope."
Shimr came closer and closer. Suddenly, he and his men attacked the tents of the Imam's camp, and used flaming spears to set the tents on fire. The women screamed. Shibth Ibn Rab'i stopped Shimr from throwing any more spears. From the Imam's camp, Zuhayr Ibn al-Qayn and ten of his people attacked Shimr and his troops, and fought them away.
Azra who was in charge asked for help from 'Umar Ibn Sa'd. 'Umar asked Shibth to go, but he refused. Then 'Umar sent Hosayn Ibn Numayr with five hundred archers. The Imam's camp fought against them and cut off the legs of their horses.
'Umar ordered to attack from all sides because they were not succeeding by attacking from one side.
Each of the Imam's fighters was separated and surrounded by a large group of the enemy. 'Umar ordered all the tents to be set on fire. Women were crying and upset, children did not know what to do.
The Imam said, "Let them set the tents on fire. Get out of the tents and use the fire to protect you from them." When Abu Sha'th al-Kindi saw the horrible situation, he decided to leave 'Umar Ibn Sa'd's army. He came to the Imam and said, "I am at your service. Tell me what to do."
He shot one hundred arrows against 'Umar's army. When all of his arrows were finished, he came back and said, "I killed only five. I have to kill more." He went back and killed nine more men before he was killed.
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